Adjusting for 1/4 inch coils with Bind It All

I wrote most of this last night. This was before I had my AHA! moment of trimming the punched edge of the pages so that they'd fit nicely inside the 1/4" coil. It occurred to me that this could still be useful, particularly with covers, because if the edges have been wrapped, slicing off one edge could look unfinished. So here's how I adjusted my punching so that the holes would be uniformly closer to the edge....

I mentioned the problem with getting pages to lie flat when using the very small 1/4" binding wire coils with the Bind It All. The problem is that too much paper ends up inside the coil and the pages overlap.


My solution was to move the paper in such a way that the holes would be punched closer to the edge. Now granted this may make the pages a tad more prone to being 'torn out', but it's a trade off in order to have the pages turn properly. The question was how to move the holes so that they'd be uniform. This is what I did.

Let's say that the darker green cardstock is what I'm using for my project. I cut another piece of scrap cardstock (the lighter green) so that it was just over 1/16" wider than the cardstock for my project.


I then inserted that combo into the slot of my Bind It All, holding the layers in place. The light green edge goes in first.


Once you feel the leading edge reach the bottom of the slot, go ahead and press the lever as you normally would.


You can see that the edge of my darker cardstock is now only about an 1/8" wide. The lighter green cardstock has the normal edge of 3/16" that wouldn't allow pages to move properly within the 1/4" diameter coil.

To go back to my first example, pages punched this way will now lie flat.


So, the key points to remember are...

• You can use the 5/16" plastic template to set your binding width. In my experience it will close the 1/4" coil properly.
• You'll need to trim the punched edge of your pages if you want them to turn easily and lie flat. You can do this by actually trimming them, or you can punch them in such a way that the holes will be closer to the edge of the page.
• These coils look great with smaller projects, so don't be afraid to use them!

I used this process to make a small coil bound book. I'll put that in a new entry.

Coil Binding Chart - revised

Oh, what a task this turned out to be! Little did I know what I was getting myself into. Here is a revision of the original coil chart that I posted. This chart is specifically for 2:1 pitch double O binding wire, the kind used in the Bind It All. The sheet capacity is approximate and is based on 20 lb bond paper. The total thickness includes the thickness of the pages as well as the covers--essentially this is the thickness of the materials to be bound, plus 1/8", if that's easier to remember.
I think this puts all of the info that I've gathered into its most useful form. I am now officially putting this topic aside, at least for now. :-)

To read my other posts about the Bind It All, including some tips on using 1/4" coils, just click on the Bind It All label below.

Bind It All addendum

I found a chart that gives approximate sheet capacity for the various sizes of 2:1 pitch double loop binding wire. I thought this was useful when considering what size coil to use for a project.

I purchased my Bind It All at Bonnie's Best. I bought my 5/8" coils there, too. She has great customer service and very quick shipping. I was thrilled to see that she now stocks several more sizes of the coils for this machine and in white as well as black. I think I may have to get some of those smaller coils!

ETA: Please note that I have revised this chart. Please see post: Coil Binding Chart - revised, if you arrived here via a direct link.

About the Bind It All

Here are more details and pics of the Bind It All.

This machine is metal and plastic. The plastic parts feel very sturdy. In the above pic, you can get an idea of the size of its footprint and its height.


In the above photo, you can see the slot where you insert the material to be punched. The rectangles on either side of the slot show the position of the rectangular holes that will be punched, making it easy to line things up. I fit 24 pages of text weight paper into this slot. That was probably the maximum number.

This next pic shows the foot that can be extended when using the machine. This keeps it from tipping over when punching or binding.


Here is another view, showing how the foot balances the movement of the lever when it's depressed.


There is a setting which allows you to make continuous punches, that is, punch evenly spaced holes in longer items, also settings for punching covers, inside pages, and more free-form type punching.


Here you can see the plastic tags that depict the various sizes of the coils. The one in my booklet below is 5/8" and matches up with that 5/8", or 16mm, tag.


These can also be used to adjust the setting for the binding side of the machine. You just turn the knob indicated by the arrow until the appropriate plastic tag fits securely in the space as I've shown below. That will be the correct setting for that size coil. This is much easier than trying to eyeball it according to the lines on the machine. Ask me how I know. ;-)


So, place the open coil through the holes in the project, as shown. The covers go at the back with the inner pages at the front. Hang on. Let me be more specific. Assemble your booklet. Now, holding it facing you with everything in its proper order, take the booklet and flip the back cover onto the front as if it was already bound. Now flip the booklet again. You should be looking at the back of the last page of your book, and the holes should be on the right hand side. Poke the pointy ends of the coils through the holes from the top side, going down and through. It should look like the photo below with that blank page of mine being the last page of my book. This set-up will bind the book correctly.


Place the coil open side down into the binding side of the machine as shown below. By the way, the coils come in 11" lengths and can be cut down to the correct size with regular wire cutters. They also come splayed open as seen in the photos.


Push the lever down and close the coil. It will look like it's pinching it too hard, but the coil will spring back a bit and be closed correctly.


The great thing is that these coils will let a booklet open completely flat. And yes, I punched the holes in the CD covers using the Bind It All. I wouldn't say that it was effortless like it is with chipboard or paper, but it worked fine.


Now, as for these coils, I've found that they go by a couple of different names. I've seen them called double loop binding wire or duo wire. The important thing to know is that you'll want the type with 2:1 pitch (2 holes per inch) for this machine.

And lastly, I tested whether the coil could be closed again if it was pried open, for those folks interested in knowing whether changes could be made to a booklet at a later date. I used a couple of craft sticks threaded through the coil and pulled them in opposite directions to make a uniform opening. I made just enough space to remove the contents, as I would if I were replacing or adding pages to the booklet. I then reinserted this same coil and clamped it in the binding machine. It worked. I think it'd be important to try to keep the gaps of the coil fairly uniform over its length though, otherwise it may not close the rings evenly.

Hope that this information was useful!